When I auditioned at Axiom, I was quite impressed with the output of the EP400. I think it will be fine in that room. The M22 is a great little speaker. My only quibble was that there was not enought bass. A sub will take care of that.

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Fred

-------Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!

Mark: You should order the SACD - it's much better, ha! Check out my remarks wrt to watching the accompanying DVD in the 'Stunning Recordings' thread.

John K: Thank you. You have largely confirmed my thinking on this matter.

Just a reminder to all that I am not trying to reproduce movie LFE here. If I sit in my normal listening spots on the couch 8 to 10 feet in front of the speakers that are firing out of the alcove, I can't imagine that this diminutive 500 watt monster couldn't satisfactorily produce enough SPL at the moderate levels that I desire. It would be a different story if I was standing 25' away at the back of this room.

I am reasonably convinced that a pair of M2s on stands coupled with an EP-400 will perform admirably in this setting; however, I am still open to more dialogue if anyone sees fit to jump in...

When I auditioned at Axiom, I was quite impressed with the output of the EP400. I think it will be fine in that room. The M22 is a great little speaker. My only quibble was that there was not enought bass. A sub will take care of that.

I prefer bookshelf speakers with sub to towers for 2 channel music listening. You might want to check out the Wharfedale, Focal and KEFs. I've heard Wharfes which compare very favorably to m22s when teamed with a SET tube amp. The best sounding tube bookshelf sub combo I ever heard include a pair of Reference 3a speakers. They're on my bucket list of audio equipment.

I'd get that Velodyne to a furniture maker/repair and have it refinished. You could make it beautiful. Good luck

Edited by 2x6spds (07/15/1212:45 PM)

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Enjoy the Music. Trust your ears. Laugh at Folks Who Claim to Know it All.

I was thinking about this earlier... Why not order M2's and a EP400 that you are thinking you want.. However, order these items in a stock finish, if you decide you like them, then return the stock finish speakers and place an order for the custom finish you want. This way you will know that YOU like the setup before paying the premium for the custom finish which can not be returned and not having the ability to try something else if you decide you want to.

With this option, you could order a pair of M2's as well as M22's, then decide which YOU like the most.. Also, if you find the EP-400 is sufficient for what you want great. However, if you decide you want something a bit bigger you would have that option.

All of the above would cost you some shipping $$. But, you would know exactly what your getting and positive that it IS what YOU want.

2x6: Thanks for the suggestions; however, my F1000 has over 20 years of use on its electronics, servo & the driver foam surround. Velodyne is not able to service the 'F Series' as parts are no longer available. While I believe this rather low powered (80 watt) sub is outstanding for music in my setting, this unit is most likely near the end of its life - I'm surprised that it has lasted this long. I don't think that sinking any money into it would be wise. As for other speaker brands, I think that I'll stick with Axiom as I have for over 20 years. I just plain like them!

dak: I have a pair of M22s downstairs in my HT that I could bring up to use as a test bed if I got my hands on an EP-400; however, I wouldn't want to have Axiom sell me a set of 3 speakers just for testing purposes knowing that I definitely will return them. That's just me I guess.

Everything that I've read all over the net is that M2s (& M22s) are best with a sub. On the other hand, M3s are fine by themselves for most music; however, being a bookshelf they cannot be expected to provide the lower end that I desire in this setting - hence the requirement for a sub.

The main question remains - will the EP-400 be powerful enough for moderate near-field listening in my setting? I have to believe that it will...